Our story
Lumi didn't come from a big company. He was dreamed up, drawn, coded and polished by one person, at a desk in India, one tiny expression at a time.
Made by Vishwam Phalke
Founder & creator · OverPowered StudiosVishwam is the mind and the hands behind Lumi. He designed his round little body and big glowing eyes, gave him more than a hundred expressions, taught him 80 dances and 200 small activities, built his voice, his costumes, his games, and the whole app that lets him live on your desktop, for both Windows and Mac.
What makes Vishwam special is how much he cares about the small things: the way Lumi blinks when he's sleepy, how he hides his eyes in scary movies, how he waits politely before installing an update. Every one of those moments was thought about, tested and tuned by hand. He also built Lumi to respect you: no watching, listening or touching your apps unless you say so.
“I wanted a little friend on my screen who makes the day feel lighter, and who is genuinely useful when you need help. That's Lumi.”
- Vishwam Phalke
How we made Lumi
From a doodle to a robot that talks, dances and plays songs. Here's the journey.
A doodle with big eyes
It started with a sketch: a round little robot with glowing eyes that could live by the clock on the taskbar. The goal from day one was simple: cute, never annoying, and actually helpful.
Giving him a face
Lumi is drawn live, every frame, instead of playing video clips. That's how he can blend 100+ expressions smoothly, look at your cursor, and react the instant something happens.
Giving him a brain and a voice
Lumi thinks with Google's Gemini model, using your own key so your conversations stay between you and Google. He can chat by text or by voice in real time, and you can interrupt him just like a friend.
Giving him a life
Then came the fun part: brushing his teeth, eating samosas, playing cricket, lighting a diya at Diwali, dancing bhangra and moonwalking, wearing kitty and dino costumes, and playing games with you.
Making him safe
Privacy switches that are off by default, a blue light when he's watching, no looking at password or banking windows, your API key stored in your system's secure key store, and a licence system that keeps your purchase safe.
Testing, testing, testing
Thousands of automated checks run on every version, including a robot tester that opens real Lumi windows on real Macs, so every update arrives working.
Off to your desktop
Lumi launched for Windows, then came to the Mac, and now he updates himself so you always have the newest tricks.
Beyond one screen
Then Lumi stepped off the desk: a phone app to chat and get his notes, control of all your computers and your Android phone, a Control center full of big friendly buttons - and a little hologram capsule to live in. He waves you off when you leave and welcomes you home when you're back.
About OverPowered Studios
OverPowered Studios is an independent software studio from India, founded by Vishwam Phalke. We make playful, well-crafted apps that are kind to the people who use them. Lumi is our first companion, and we're just getting started.
Want to say hi, share an idea for Lumi, or tell us about a bug? Email us, we read everything. And there's more behind-the-scenes on our blog.